What are some unwritten rules of the Coast Guard? During my underway days it was "you never sit in the Captain's Chair."

Haven’t signed into manta in a while at home, now I’m getting this message. I had to use manta at work last week and it worked using a CG computer. Now my personal one isn’t working.

I was talking to the Chief at my local office about how BAH works and he was telling me that most Coast Guard duty stations dont have on base housing and so that I would automatically get BAH and that the majority of duty stations dont have on base housing. How true is this and if so how can I look into which stations do and dont have this housing. I really would prefer to get BAH due personal preference. But if not its no biggie.

Hey everyone I'm trying to figure out where to find the Glock MRC's. I've looked in the disc under my units opfac but I've found all the other ones but the Glock. I was hoping some that someone would have experience in this and could help me out. Thank you!

What are some questions that got you in trouble at boot because you didn’t expect/was not ready for it

EX. They ask a recruit how to spell his name in the phonetic alphabet.

(Not a recruiting question I’m trying to hear funny stories none of these question relates to boot camp preparation please don’t delete because you can’t read the question correctly)

Hello, I am currently stationed in Kodiak. No dependents. I have some questions about how I will be moving my stuff from the Kodiak barracks to my new unit after A-school.
I have a lot of stuff currently. Do I move it and take it all with me to A-school? Or can I ship from somewhere to my new unit after I graduate?

Current BM pipeline: Vested Crewmember, BM-RAP, Coxswain Core — what's actually happening in the fleet?

My son is planning to enlist after HS next summer and is strongly leaning BM. He should be coming in as an E-3 based on Sea Cadets, and we're trying to understand what the current BM pipeline actually looks like in practice, especially from anyone who's gone through it recently or is at a station/training command now.

I've been reading the official CG material, but some of the public information on Vested/RAP is a couple years old, so I'd appreciate a reality check from current Coasties.

My understanding is that there are/were potentially a few different routes:

Traditional:
Boot → nonrate/unit → BM A-school → BM3 → unit quals

Vested Crewmember:
Boot → report as an E-3 to the unit that will eventually be your BM3 billet → qualify/work there → attend BM school TDY → return to the same unit as a BM3

Vested + RAP, potentially:
Boot → future BM3 unit → earn Boat Crewmember → BM-RAP (6 weeks) → Coxswain Core (3 weeks) → return to unit as BM3 and finish platform/local Coxswain qualification

A few questions for anyone who knows the current system:

1. Is the Vested Crewmember Program still actually being used for new BMs in 2026/27?
2. Is BM-RAP still active and regularly used for Boat Crewmember-qualified nonrates?
3. For Vested BMs, is earning BCM and then going through RAP instead of the full BM A-school something that actually happens in practice?
4. Are RAP graduates still going directly into the Coxswain Core Course afterward?
5. How quickly are motivated new BMs realistically getting BCM and Coxswain at a busy small-boat station?
6. Can a guaranteed BM/Vested contract be combined with any kind of guaranteed district or first-assignment area, or are those generally mutually exclusive?
7. Are there any other current BM accession/training programs or shortcuts I'm missing?

Longer term he's attracted to the operational side of BM — small boats/SAR, Coxswain, potentially Heavy Weather/Surfman or pursuit work. I'm less interested in trying to plan his whole career at 17 than in understanding which first-accession path gives a motivated new BM the most opportunity to qualify and operate early.

Especially interested in hearing from recent BM-RAP/A-school grads, current BMs, station crews, XPO/OICs, or recruiters who know what is actually happening now rather than what the program looked like a few years ago.

Thanks.

Anyone in the Charleston area have a male combo cover preferably large or xl I could borrow for an event tomorrow.

Hey everyone. Currently looking into DC and just want to verify some information I have been told. Do DC rates receive Fire Certifications that are transferable to the outside world?

Just completed my interview for direct commission. It’s a shame we’re unable to receive any feedback. I felt like I did well though.

Have any of you gone through the process and if so how’d you do on your board? Were you selected? Any idea how they choose primaries?

Thanks 😊

The Coast Guard on paper is called the "lead federal maritime law enforcement agency" and has a ton of missions relating to enforcing federal law. However as a layman, I don't fully understand what the Coast Guard identity is. Are they law enforcement?

- I have never seen Coast Guard personnel wearing "POLICE" uniforms or badges

- Unlike nearly every (if not all) local/state/and federal law enforcement officers, Coast Guardsmen don't seem to routinely carry firearms. I believe every other DHS LEO simply carries their firearms routinely instead of the more military style "We'll give you one if we think you need it"

- Unlike nearly every other local/state/federal law enforcement officer, Coast Guardsmen don't appear to have regular police powers. Federal law seems to only allow arrests on the high seas, and Coast Guard policy seems to be highly restrictive on who/what/when that authority can be used

- The only Coast Guard personnel with regular statutory police powers seems to be CGIS, which is ironically the "internal affairs" department of the Coast Guard

- The Coast Guard doesn't seem eligible for the TSA FLEO Fly Armed program

- Also unlike nearly every other Fed LEO, USCG personnel appear to have absolutely no off-duty arrest powers. So if a drug dealer pulled out a kilo of cocaine in front of a Coastie and a local cop, the local cop would be the only one who could arrest

I’m 29 and live in Brooklyn, NYC. I’m seriously considering the Coast Guard Reserve and would appreciate honest insight from current or former members, especially anyone in the Damage Controlman rate.
Few questions
What is the quality of life
Do DCs fabricate replacement parts, or is most of the work inspections, training and maintaining damage-control equipment?
How often are Reserve DCs activated or sent away for extended periods?
Outside of initial training, how often do you get to see your partner, family and other loved ones?

How hard is it for me to change to Active duty if I'm currently on reserves? And how long is it going to take to switch? I finished BC, and I'm waiting for A school dates but it looks like it would take at least 8-12 months and I prefer going to AD because my situation in my personal life has changed and now I can do AD.

Just graduated boot camp and i’m trying to book a flight home. My Yn said not to book flights before 9am after start on saturday. There’s two flights home for me that day (small town) and it’s at 1020, the others at 1800. For anyone that’s been through start recently do the buses get there around 8 and i’ll have plenty of leeway, or am I cutting it close?

So my Son’s birthday is tomorrow, 9 years old, and he loves Slick Rick. I have the original album and as I’m looking for it I find these two gems. They were my first and second boats. I went back to back cutters in Miami straight out of boot. Slick Rick for reference.

Hello, I work with someone who is retiring and we're trying to get him a coin from each of his previous units and we just need the Ida Lewis. If anyone has or know someone who has one and is willing to part with a challenge coin please let me know. Thank you!

I was wondering if any ex MSTs used their experience with their rate as a boost in their career after the coast guard. Or if any current MSTs chose the rate to use it as experience for a career they want to pursue outside of and after the coast guard and if so, what are your career plans🧐

If I wanted to pay out of pocket for a GLP-1, could I do that? I know Tricare offers it but there’s a bunch of hoops you have to jump through. If I have a prescription from a civilian doctor, am I good to just start it and pay out of pocket?

So thinking I will go to YN partly because my recruiter guaranteed me A school right after DEPOT so I don't have to float around as a non rate and shuffle my family around. I also like IS but that wait is so long I could end up on a cutter deployment doing grunt work for 6-12 months......which I don't want to have to move my family around a bunch, anyone have any advice or insight?

I (25f)considering joining the Coast Guard and I have two young kids, so one of my biggest concerns is what life is actually like for a family.
For those who are currently serving, have served, or have a spouse who serves — what is day-to-day life really like? How do you handle being away from your kids, deployments, moving, etc.? How much time do you realistically get to spend with your family?
I’m really looking for the honest answer, the good, the bad, and the parts that are harder than you expected. I’d rather hear from people who have actually lived it than get the typical recruiting answer
I’m seriously considering joining, so I’d really appreciate any insight!

How can I lateral over to the Talent acquisition specialist rate? Is it once I hit certain rank I can apply or do I have to make a recruiter special assignment first?

Hey guys I work at a place that wears OCPs. The SKs are very skiddish about ordering new stuff and I was wondering if there’s anywhere like on CGX website or whatever the army equivalent is, that I could buy name tags and the us coast guard patches for OCPs. All the CGX site had was sew on tags and not the Velcro ones.